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COMPLAINT for DECLARATORY, Austin, TX 78748; INJUNCTIVE, and MANDAMUS

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COMPLAINT for DECLARATORY, Austin, TX 78748; INJUNCTIVE, and MANDAMUS Case 8:20-cv-02225-PX-PAH-ELH Document 1 Filed 07/31/20 Page 1 of 38 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MARYLAND NATALIA USECHE 125 NE 32nd Street #2114 Miami, FL 33147; JOYCE BROWN 318 B-2 Knotty Pine Circle Greenacres, FL 33462; AMIT DODANI 23964 Strathern Street West Hills, CA 91304; NATALIE HERNANDEZ 506 Wheaties Way Las Vegas, NV 89110; MICHAEL KAGAN 1909 Plaza de Cordero Las Vegas, NV 89102; Case No. ____________________ ANGELA KANG 2645 Gate Ridge Drive COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY, Austin, TX 78748; INJUNCTIVE, AND MANDAMUS RELIEF ANGEL LIRA 207 Alicante Aisle Irvine, CA 92614; CHARLES PARK 4-15 35th Avenue #3A Jackson Heights, NY 11374; ANGEL ULLOA 7245 Espolon Drive El Paso, TX 79912; and KATHI WHITE 5639 Westover Street Houston, TX 77033, Plaintiffs, Case 8:20-cv-02225-PX-PAH-ELH Document 1 Filed 07/31/20 Page 2 of 38 v. DONALD J. TRUMP, in his official capacity as President of the United States of America 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20006; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 1401 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20230; UNITED STATES CENSUS BUREAU 4600 Silver Hill Road Suitland, Prince George’s County, MD 20746; WILBUR L. ROSS, JR., in his official capacity as Secretary of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20230; and STEVEN DILLINGHAM, in his official capacity as Director of the United States Census Bureau 4600 Silver Hill Road Suitland, Prince George’s County, MD 20746, Defendants. Case 8:20-cv-02225-PX-PAH-ELH Document 1 Filed 07/31/20 Page 3 of 38 INTRODUCTION 1. Plaintiffs—ten United States citizens and registered voters residing in California, Florida, Nevada, New York, and Texas—bring this action to stop President Donald J. Trump and his Administration from violating the Constitution’s absolute command to apportion congressional seats based upon an enumeration of all persons—regardless of their citizenship or immigration status—counted through the decennial census. 2. On July 21, 2020, President Trump issued a “Memorandum on Excluding Illegal Aliens From the Apportionment Base Following the 2020 Census” (the “Presidential Memorandum”) purporting to announce a new “policy of the United States to exclude from the apportionment base aliens who are not in a lawful immigration status,” and directing the Secretary of Commerce to execute this policy by providing the President with an estimate of the number of “illegal aliens” residing in each state. 3. The President’s directive is intended to—and will—deprive diverse states and communities of political power in Congress and the Electoral College and deny the residents of those states, including Plaintiffs, their rights to equal political representation. This violation of the Constitution’s equal protection guarantee is the latest act in an ongoing campaign by Defendants to manipulate the Census and apportionment processes to redistribute political power in the United States from the growing numbers of racial and ethnic minorities to non-Hispanic whites. 4. Contrary to the Presidential Memorandum’s extraordinary assertion of executive authority, neither the Constitution nor the governing statutes give the President the unfettered discretion to determine the number of congressional seats and electoral votes awarded to each state. The President is not free to substitute his own manufactured population figures for the “actual enumeration” of the population that the Constitution requires. 1 Case 8:20-cv-02225-PX-PAH-ELH Document 1 Filed 07/31/20 Page 4 of 38 5. Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief to block Defendants from carrying out President Trump’s lawless arrogation of power and scuttling over two centuries of constitutional law and practice. JURISDICTION AND VENUE 6. This Court has subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1343 over Plaintiffs’ claims arising under the Constitution and federal statutes and under 28 U.S.C. § 1361. An actual controversy exists between the parties within the meaning of 28 U.S.C. § 2201(a), and this Court may grant declaratory relief, injunctive relief, mandamus relief, and other relief against Defendants pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201-2202 and 5 U.S.C. §§ 705-706. 7. Venue is proper under 28 U.S.C. § 1391(e)(1). Defendants United States Census Bureau and Steven Dillingham reside in Prince George’s County within this District. In addition, a substantial part of the events or omissions giving rise to Plaintiffs’ claims occurred in this District. PARTIES 8. Plaintiff Natalia Useche is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in Miami, Florida. 9. Plaintiff Joyce Brown is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in Greenacres, Florida. 10. Plaintiff Amit Dodani is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in West Hills, California. 11. Plaintiff Natalie Hernandez is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in Las Vegas, Nevada. 12. Plaintiff Michael Kagan is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in Las Vegas, Nevada. 2 Case 8:20-cv-02225-PX-PAH-ELH Document 1 Filed 07/31/20 Page 5 of 38 13. Plaintiff Angela Kang is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in Austin, Texas. 14. Plaintiff Angel Lira is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in Irvine, California. 15. Plaintiff Charles Park is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in Jackson Heights, New York. 16. Plaintiff Angel Ulloa is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in El Paso, Texas. 17. Plaintiff Kathi White is a United States citizen eligible and registered to vote and residing in Houston, Texas. 18. Defendant Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States. President Trump is sued in his official capacity. 19. Defendant United States Department of Commerce is a cabinet-level department of the United States federal government. It oversees the development, content, and implementation of the federal decennial census, including the 2020 Census, by the United States Census Bureau. 20. Defendant United States Census Bureau (“Census Bureau” or “Bureau”) is an agency within the Department of Commerce. It is responsible for developing and implementing the 2020 Census, subject to oversight by the Department of Commerce. 21. Defendant Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., is the Secretary of Commerce. He has responsibility for overseeing the Census Bureau, including with respect to the Bureau’s responsibility to develop and implement the 2020 Census. Secretary Ross is sued in his official capacity. 3 Case 8:20-cv-02225-PX-PAH-ELH Document 1 Filed 07/31/20 Page 6 of 38 22. Defendant Steven Dillingham is the Director of the United States Census Bureau. He has responsibility for implementing the 2020 Census. Director Dillingham is sued in his official capacity. FACTUAL ALLEGATIONS I. THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK GOVERNING CONGRESSIONAL APPORTIONMENT AND THE DECENNIAL CENSUS A. The Constitution Requires Congressional Apportionment to be Based on the “Whole Number of Persons” Counted by an “Actual Enumeration.” 23. Pursuant to the Fourteenth Amendment, Article I, Section 2 of the Constitution provides: “Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.” U.S. Const. amend. XIV, § 2 (the “Apportionment Clause”). 24. The adoption of the Fourteenth Amendments following the Civil War enshrined the principle of equal representation of all persons residing in the United States, excluding only “Indians not taxed,” in determining congressional apportionment. The use of the word “person” in the Fourteenth Amendment has always been interpreted to include non- citizens—regardless of immigration status. Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202, 210 (1982) (“Aliens, even aliens whose presence in this country is unlawful, have long been recognized as ‘persons’ guaranteed due process of law by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.”); see Truax v. Raich, 239 U.S. 33, 41 (1915) (“If this could be refused solely upon the ground of race or nationality, the prohibition of the denial to any person of the equal protection of the laws would be a barren form of words.”); Li Sing v. United States, 180 U.S. 486, 495 (1901); Wong Wing v. United States, 163 U.S. 228, 238 (1896); Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356, 369 (1886) (“The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution is not confined to the protection of citizens.”). 4 Case 8:20-cv-02225-PX-PAH-ELH Document 1 Filed 07/31/20 Page 7 of 38 25. While drafting the Fourteenth Amendment, Congress considered and rejected options to limit the population used for congressional apportionment to “voters” or “citizens.” See Cong. Globe, 39th Cong., 1st Sess. 141 (1866) (remarks of Rep. Blaine) (“These propositions have differed somewhat in phrase, but they all embrace substantially the one idea of making suffrage instead of population the basis of apportioning Representatives.”). Instead, the Fourteenth Amendment credits the important role non-citizens play in society and the importance of providing representation to those who cannot vote. “As an abstract proposition no one will deny that population is the true basis of representation; for women, children and other non-voting classes may have as vital an interest in the legislation of the country as those who actually deposit the ballot.” Id. The ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment embodied a deliberate choice to include everyone residing within the United States in determining congressional apportionment. 26. Even at the Founding, the “whole number of persons in each State” for apportionment purposes was understood to mean all persons present in the country (other than Indians not taxed) without regard to voting eligibility, citizenship, or immigration status.
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